Apparatus for multiple meter installation



P 1935. E. G. JOHANSSON APPARATUS FOR MULTIPLE METER INSTALLATION Filed .Nov. 12, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l 272% I fiwari Wm/1% WW. (5 ,Q..IJ YW-K Id 70 w w p 1935- E. G} JOHANSSON 2,015,112

APPARATUS FOR MULTIPLE METER INSTALLATION Filed Nov. 12, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mg m 1 M [K W Patented Sept. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR MULTIPLE METER INsTALLATIoN Ernest G. Johansson, Watertown, Mass., assignor toThe Palmer Electric & Manufacturing 00., Waltham, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 12, 1934, Serial No. 752,668 2 Claims. (Cl. 247-2) This invention relates to apparatus for a multiple meter installation such as may be found in buildings having more than one tenant. In order x to facilitate the reading of meters in buildings where there are several tenants each having a separate meter, it is customary to locate the meters in one place rather than to scatter them throughout the building. In order to economize space, the meters are frequently arranged side by side as close as possible. The present invention relates to improved apparatus for receiving and supporting removable meters and for housing the service wires and the connections between these wires and the meters.

According to existing fire codes, the service wires entering a building must be of considerable diameter, exclusive of insulation, so as to carry safely the maximum current which may at any time be required by all of the consumers in the building. Wires of such size are comparatively stiif. It is necessary for practical reasons to protect these service wires against unauthorized tampering so as to prevent possible short-circuiting or the theft of current. For similar reasons, it is likewise necessary to enclose all of the connections through the meter to each service switch. The present invention has for one of its objects the provision of convenient apparatus for housing and protecting the service wires and connections and for facilitating the installation of such connections.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to a disclosure of an embodiment thereof in the description which follows, and on the drawings of which,-

Figure l is a perspective view of apparatus including an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1. a

Figure 3 is a perspective view of an improved terminal clamp for making connections with a service wire.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a meter connection element having a swivel terminal element connected thereto.

Figure 6 is an elevation of a portion of a trough having a control switch box attached thereto.

Figure '7 is a section on the line of'Figure 6. v

Figure 8 is a section on the line 88 of Figure 6.

The structure illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 may comprise a trough III of sufllcient width and depth to accommodate service wires ll, 12 and I3, and apparatus for connecting the service wires with meters. These troughs may be made in standard lengths to accommodate two or more meters, and are made with knockouts in the sides and ends for conduit or cable fittings. Open- 5 ended sections of trough may also be joined endto-end to construct sectional troughs accommodating any desired number of meters. Each trough when installed is closed at its ends, and a conduit I5 is connected toone end to admit 10 the service wires into the trough. 0n the top or open side of the trough is secured a sufficient number of cover plates to cover the entire top of the trough. These cover plates are made with a suitable opening, preferably circular, to receive 15 a ring socket 2|. As hereinafter described, each ring socket carries connecting apparatus for a meter adapted to fit on the ring socket and thus to close the opening therethrough. In Figures 1 and 2 the casing of a meter is indicated at 22. 20 In the illustration of the trough ID in Figure 1, only two cover plates 20 are shown, the other plate being left off to show the interior of the trough. It will be understood that in actual practice a sufficient number of cover plates 20 will be secured to the top of, the trough to form a cover for the trough which is continuous except for the openings through the sockets 2|. These openings are, in turn, closed either by meter casings 22 or by circular cover plates (not shown), each meter or cover plate being secured to its socket by a suitable flanged band 23 which passes around the base of the meter or plate and engages under a flange 24 on the ring 2i, the ends of the band being sealed together as by a seal 21. Thus, when the apparatus is completely assembled, the service wires within the trough are completely enclosed and protected against tampering.

The trough may be mounted against a wall horizontally as indicated in Figure 1, a switch box 25 (preferably fused) being mounted below each ring socket 2| and connected to the trough as by a conduit connection .26. The switches and the meter to the trough switch in a box 25. As'

shown, the ring socket 2| may comprise a ring adapted to rest against the outer face of a cover plate 20, this ring having four legs 30 projecting inward into the trough and terminating in feet on which are secured a pair of supports or platforms 3| and 32 of insulating material. Mounted on the platform 3| are a pair of resilient connectors 35 and 36 adapted to receive connecting blades of a meter. Similar resilient connecting elements 31 and 38 are mounted on the other platform 32 to receive connecting blades on a meter. in mounting a meter'on a ring socket 2|, it is necessary only to push the meter into place, the four connecting blades thereof entering the resilient connecting elements 35, 36, 31 and 38. One of these resilient elements, such as 31, is clearly illustrated in Figure 5. When the meter is seated against the ring 2|, it is secured thereon as by a circular band 23 having inward flanges engaging annular shoulders on the meter casing tive wires, the terminals are mounted at different levels so that it will not be necessary to bend any of the service wires. For example, as indicated in Figures 1 and 2, the connector 35 may be connected with a terminal element 40 projecting down further from the platform 3| than a terminal 4| connected to the element 36. In a threewire system such as illustrated in Figure 1, the neutral wire may be connected to a terminal 42 which is at a still lower level than the other terminals. The conductor carrying the terminal 42 is provided with a binding post 43 for a wire which leads into the corresponding switch box 25 as will be understood by one skilled in the art. The meter connecting elements 31 and 36 are provided with binding posts 45 and 46 for wsires leading into the corresponding switch box The terminals 40, 4| and 42 may be of any preferred construction, such, for example, as that illustrated in Figure 3. For convenience, the terminal shown in Figure 3 is described, as shown therein, in an'upright position. It is evident that in actual use it may assume any desired position. The terminal may be supported by and comprise a portion of a heavy strip of copper 50 bent to form a horizontal portion 5| and an upright end portion 52. The horizontal portion 5| is provided with a notch on each side to receive a downwardly extending leg 56 of a clamping element 60. This element is in the shape of an inverted U, the uppertransverse portion having a lateral extension 6| projecting toward the tip of the end portion 52 of the strip 50. A threaded bolt 65 projecting upwardly through the horizontal portion 5|, midway between the notches 55, and extends upwardly through a perforation in the transverse upper portion of the element 60 to receive a nut 66. The bolt is preferably made of suflicient length so that the nut 66 can be backed off toward the end thereof a sufficient distance to permit the insertion of the stripped portion of a service wire between the ends of the clamping elements 52 and 6| without the removal of the nut from the bolt. Thus the connection can be made without danger of dropping the nut 66 or the clamping element 60 into the bottom of the trough where they would Thus,

be difficult to retrieve when the ring sockets 2| are in place. After a service wire hzfs been inserted in the terminal as indicated in Figure 3, the nut 66 can be set up so as to clamp the wire between the extension 6| and the horizontal portion 5| of the strip 50. It has been found by experience that in the terminal clamp consisting of two elements threaded by a bolt and pressed together by a nut to grip the wire, there is a tendency on the part of the gripping elements to spring away from each other. Thus, in the structure illustrated in Figure 3, there is a tendency on the part of the member 52 to spring outwardly, and for the horizontal element 5| to bend where it is weakened by the notches 55 and the perforation through which the bolt 65 passes. I may reinforce the element 5| by a stiffening element 68 immediately below it, or by projecting the end portion of the member 52 through a slot in the extension 6|, or by both. There is also a tendency on the part of the extension 6| to spring upwardly and to tilt the bolt 65 rearwardly. To counteract this effect, the legs 56 are inclined forwardly and downwardly with respect to the plane of the extension 6l, as clearly indicated in Figure 2. The notches 55 are so made that only a slight clearance is allowed between the ends of each notch and side edges of the corresponding leg 56 which slides therein. As the nut 66 is set up, forcing the yoke 60 downward against the wire to be u clamped, the legs 56 have a camming eifect tending to press thebolt 65 forward. On the other hand, the reaction pressure of the clamped wire on the extension 6| tends to tilt the entire yoke 60 rearward. This rearward tilt of the yoke 60 3 When the apparatus is initially installed in a 4 building, a trough H), of sumcient length to accommodate the desired number of meters for the various tenants or consumers in the building, is mounted horizontally as shown in Figure 1, or vertically against a suitable wall or other support; The trough is connected at one end to the conduit |5 through which the service cables are led into the trough. These cables are extended to the further end of the trough. The cover plates 20 are then secured to the trough so as to cover the entire open side of the same. The circular openings in these cover plates are of sufficient size to permit ready access to the service wires in the trough for the piupose of stripping the insulation from portions thereof so that the stripped portions of the wires can be gripped by the terminal clamps 4|], 4| and 42. As is evident from Figure 1, the platforms 3| and 32 and the terminals 40, 4| and 42 partially obstruct the opening in the cover plate 20 so that access to the service wires, when the ring sockets 2| are in place, is very limited. Thus it would be extremely difficult to strip insulation from the wires after the socket rings 2| have been placed in position. It is of great importance that, when the insulation is stripped from portions of the service wires, only such portions will be stripped as will be directly clampedby one or another of the terminals 40, 4| or 42.

Thus it is highly desirable that rately with the terminals when the ring sockets 25 are installed. Since it is practically impossible to strip the insulation after the ring sockets are installed, this must be done before the sockets are in place. In order to facilitate correct stripping of insulation from the wires, suitable guiding indicia are provided on the bottom or rear wall of the trough opposite the opening of each ,cover plate 26. These indicia may be in the form of a suitable label 10 having marks ll printed thereon to serve as guides to show where the insulation on the cables should be cut so that the stripped portions will register accurately with the terminals supported by the ring socket. The labels '10 may also carry printed directions indicating which of the service wires correspond to the several guide marks in cases of two-wire and three-wire systems. veniently stripped before the installation of the ring sockets, the stripped portions being accurately located so as to register exactly with the terminals lll, 4i and 42. After the sockets 2i have been secured in place, the cables are then brought into clamped engagement with the respective terminals, these terminals being set up tightly to make good electrical connections with the service wires. Connecting wires (not shown) are then led from the binding posts 43, 45 and 46 into the corresponding switch box 25 where they are connected to the switch or fuse holders in a manner well known in the art.

The binding posts 46, 46 are preferably of the type illustrated in Figure 5, comprising a stem having a hole 16 therethrough of a size adapted to receive the end of one of the wires leading into the switch box 25. The stem 15 projects through a perforation in a conductor 11 which leads iron. the meterterminal 31 and is in threaded engagement with a suitable nut 18 which bears on the upper face of the end portion of the conductor ll. A suitable washer 80 is mounted on the stem 15 below the conductor 11. When the end of a wire has been thrust into the hole 16, the nut 18 is set up, drawing the stem upwardly until the wire ls pressed tightly against the washer 80. This results in a tight electrical connection between the conductor 11 and the wire entering the hole 16. When the nut 18 is loose, the stem 15 can be turned on its axis so that the hole l6 may be turned in any direction convenient to receive the end of a wire. This swivel construction of the binding post is useful in the present instance to adapt the fitting which includes the meter connector 31, the conductor ii, and the binding post 45, since it can be mounted as shown in Figure l or can be mounted in a position at right angles thereto in case the trough is installed in a vertical position. It is evident that the meter should be installed in an upright position and that the connections 35, 36, 31 and 38 must be adjusted accordingly so as to receive the blade connectors of the meter when the meter is in its upright position. If the binding posts receive wires from the switch box 25 in one direction when the connecting elements are installed as shown in Figure 1, they will receive the wires from a considerably different direction if the connections are installed in a vertical trough. The swivel construction of the binding posts 45 and 46 permits easy adjustment of the direction of the holes I6 to the direction of approach of the corresponding wires.

Thus the wires may be con- 'be made accessible.

In many localities the underwriters" rules require that, when more than a specified number of meters are connected to the line wires entering a building, a fused master switch must be interposed between the incoming line wires and the meters. The master switch and the fuses are ehclosed in a metal box which is customarily sealed 7 to prevent unauthorized access to live, unmetered terminals. Since, however, the possibility of a fuse blowing in the box provides a reasonable excuse for obtaining access to the fuses, switches and boxes have been devised with cooperating mechanism such that the terminals of the switches are accessible only when they are dead. Such mechanism, however, is not suflicient to prevent the theft of. current from a three-wire system by the removal of one of the fuses and the use of a jumper, the latterbeing attached to certain fuse terminals and left in place when the box is closed to connect fuses with the live terminals of the line; While the box must be constructed to prevent, as far as possible, unauthorized accessto the interior thereof, it must be made accessible to authorized employees of the service company. To this end, switch boxes are usually made with removable covers which are secured by a seal. Such seals, however are liable to be broken by unauthorized individuals under the plea of necessary access to the fuses without understanding the mechanism for exposing the fuses for replacement. In order to make more diflicult unauthorized access to the interior ofthe box for theft of unmetered current the present invention includes structure by which the cover of the box cannot be opened except after considerable disassembly of the trough structure. It is also an object of the invention to provide means for severing a jumper automatically before the fuses can be moved into contact with live terminals. Mechanism for these purposes is illustrated in Figures 6, 7 and 8 of the drawings.

As shown, the trough I 0 may have a switch box llllisecured to an end thereof, this box having a suitable opening through one end registering with the adjacent end of the trough Ill. The box is provided with a cover IOI hinged thereto as at I02, the hinges being at the end remote from the trough so that the end adjacent to the trough swings away from the body of the box. As indie cated in Figure 8, the end of the cover adjacent 'coverplates are secured to the trough by fastening elements which are covered by ring sockets 2| and a meter 22 or a blank cover plate, secured in place by a flangedband 23. The ends of the band are drawn together and secured by a suitable seal 21. With such structure, accidental access to the interior of the switch box i 0!! by the mere breaking'of a seal is impossible, since, in order to open the cover llll, it is necessary not only to break the seal 21 but to remove the band 23, the meter or cover plate secured thereby, the ring socket 2i, and the plate 20. This effectually prevents inadvertent unauthorized opening of the box cover illl.

, The switching mechanism within the box is preferablyof some construction such as will render all of the fuse terminals dead before they can Mechanism of this kind is illustraed in Figure 7 which shows line terminals H0 and III which are connected as by conductors H2 and H3to a pair of fuse terminals H4 and H5. The latter terminals are live terminals when the conductors I I2 and H3 are in contact with the line terminals H and III. The fuses I20 and I2I, together with their terminals and the conductors I I2 and I I3 are mounted on a ver- 5 tically movable platform I25, this platform being slidable on a pair of vertical guide posts I26. At the further end of the platform I25 a pairof con-- ductors I21 connect the fuse terminals I28 at the opposite ends of the fuses to load terminals I30. It is evident from Figure 1 that, if the movable pla form I25 is elevated from the position shown in full lines to that shown in dotted lines, the fuses are completely disconnected from both the line terminals and the load terminals. Thus all of the fuse terminals are dead when the fuses are elevated as indicated by dotted lines in Figure '7. The cover IN is provided with a central opening directly above the platform I25, this opening being of sufficient size to permit the fuses and their supporting terminals to emerge. A closure is provided for this opening in the form of a deep cover i35 hinged as at I36 to the cover I0I. The cover I35 is provided with a lateral flange 03? which engages the top surface of the cover I01 when the cover I35 is closed. A locking plate I40 is adapted to overlap the flange I3l' so as to prevent the opening of the cover I35 except when the plat form i 25 with the fuses is in its elevated position. Suitable mechanism is provided for elevating and lowering the platform I25. Such mechanism may include a crank bar I4I journaled in the sides of the box I00 and operated by a crank handle I42 outside of the box. This handle is arranged to cooperate with the locking plate I40 so that the plate overlaps the flange I31 of the cover 5 when the platform I25 is in its lowered position,

and moves clear of the flange I31 when the platform I25 is in its raised position. To this end, the plate I40 is provided with a pair of diagonal slots I45, I46 through which project a pair of pins I41, I48. is notched so as to provide a shoulder I50 in the path of the handle I42, a recess I5I, and an edge portion I52 normally adjacent to the path of movement of the operating handle I42. The operation of the locking mechanism is evident from Figure 6. This figure shows the switch-operating mechanism in its closed position. In order to open the switch, the handle I42 is swung to the left. This causes the handle to engage the shoulder I50 of the plate I40, moving the plate to the left. The diagonal slots I45 and I46 cause the plate to move outwardly as well as to the left .so that the plate is thus moved clear of the flange I 31, the notch I5I preventing interference between the edge of the plate and the handle I42.

In this manner the cover I35 can be opened manu-= ally for access to the fuses I20, I2 I, all of the terminals of the fuses being dead at such time. when it is desired to close the main switch, the cover I35 must be closed before the plate I40 can be moved toward the right, this being due to the fact that the flange I31 engages the .inner edge of the plate I40 when the cover I35 is open. After ,the cover I35 has been closed, the plate I40 can move inwardly over the flange I31. This is done by swinging the handle I42 toward the right. The

' handle engages the sides of the notch opposite the shoulder I50 so as to move the plate toward the right until the plate moves far enoughin for the handle to clear the:notch and rub along the edge I52 of the plate. Thus closing movement of the switch handle is possible only when the The outer edge of the plate I40 cover I35 is in its closed position, and locks the cover I35 insuch position.

In order to avoid the use of jumpers within the switch box when the latter is closed, I provide shearing mechanism which may comprise a channel member I60 secured to the under face of the cover I35 and extending substantially from one end to the other thereof. The depending edges of this channel member are sharpened and are adapted to engage the upstanding edges ofa channel member I6I mounted on the platform I25. In order to protect the member IBI, which .is preferably made of steel, from the fuse terminals, I may mount a. pair of insulating plates I62, I63 between the member HI and the adja cent fuse terminals. As indicated in Figure 7, when the cover I35 is moved to its closed position, which movement must take place before the platform can be lowered from the elevated position shown in dotted lines, the members \IBD and I5 I- act as shears to sever any jumpers which may have been connected across fuse terminals when the cover 135 was opened. The shears thus tend to prevent the theft of current by the use of jumpers across fuse terminals. In addition to the interlocking mechanism which prevents opening of the cover i35 until the platform 1125 has been elevated to disconnect the fuses from the line and load terminals and to block the opening in the cover IDI, the cover I35 may also be secured by a seal I65 which must be broken before the cover can be opened.

It is evident that many modifications and changes may be made in the details of structure shown and described without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

1. In a trough for insulated service wires, for use with a cover with a plurality of openings large enough to permit free access to service wires therein and having electrical apparatus including wire-clamping terminals removably mounted in each said opening in a predetermined location, means including indicia permanently associated with said trough as a part of the manufacturing operation for indicating, when said apparatus is not in said predetermined location in said trough, the portions of insulation to be stripped from said wires so that the stripped portions register with said terminals when replaced in said predetermined location in said trough.

2. Electrical apparatus comprising a trough having an open side, cover means upon and partially closing said open side, said cover means having an opening permitting ready access to the interior of the trough, meter-connecting devices each removably mounted in a predetermined location in the opening of said cover and hindering access to the interior of the trough when so mounted, said'devices including a plurality or wire-clamping terminals adapted to be clamped to service wires extending through the trough, and means permanently associated with said trough as a part-of the manufacturing operation for indicating, when said devices are not in said predetermined locations, the portions of insulations to be stripped from said wires so that the stripped portions register with said terminals when said devices are replaced in said predetermined locations in said trough.

ERNEST o. JOHANSSON. 

